Guardian menace
by The madness in me
Summary: Dennis may not be friends with the softy next door but that did not mean he was going to stand by and let anyone hurt the other boy. He was a menace, not a monster. [Walter x OC] Set post Beano, characters as teenagers.


Dennis settled back into the sofa cushions with a sigh of contentment, remote in hand and a variety of snacks all within grabbing distance. Mum and Dad had gone away for the weekend with Mr and Mrs Softy from next door (really should try to learn their real names at some point) and Bee was staying with a friend so he had the whole house to himself.

He chuckled to himself when he thought about their faces as they handed him the keys, Dad looked like he didn't want to go, probably afraid there would be no house to return to when he got home.

With the destruction that was now practically expected of him Dennis wondered if they would be relieved or disappointed to discover their menace of a son had used his free reign of the house to do nothing more than lounge around in his underpants. No wild parties or crazy stunts, just one long snack and TV binge.

Well he was a teenager now, even he needed a lazy day or two now and then.

Just as he was about to select a channel, the grown up trouble maker heard a crash followed by a shriek.

Startled by the noise he ran to the window, shoving the curtains aside and looking across to the next house where the noise had originated. The blinds next door were closed but the lights were on giving the trouble teen a fairly reasonable view of the silhouettes moving around and from the looks of things they appeared to be fighting.

Taking advantage of his own parents absence Walter had invited his boyfriend to stay the weekend.

Dennis scowled in disapproval. He hadn't seen much of the softies lover but from what he had seen he already knew he did not like the guy. Walter being Walter was of course ever eager to please everyone and willing to go out of his way to make his 'dearest' happy; his 'dearest' did not appear all that willing to reciprocate that generosity.

Seeing the larger shape raise an arm and bring it down swiftly onto the smaller form causing another shriek of distress Dennis was spurred into action, running out of his front door and across to the next house still wearing nothing but his stripy pants.

...

In the other house Walter cowered before his angry lover. "Dearest please..." He begged. He wasn't sure what he had done to upset the man this time but Jack was angrier than he'd ever seen him.

Tears streaked down the teens face and his broken glasses lay somewhere to his left.

Without warning an angry crash threw the front door off its hinges.

Squinting slightly Walter was just able to make out a beige shape with a dark blob on top framed in the broken door. In an instant the shape launched itself towards them and he was suddenly dropped to the ground as Jack let go of him. Scrambling to find the remains of his glasses before they were fully crushed on the floor the terrified boy turned away from the two men now wrestling in the middle of the room.

Just as his fingers grasped around the fragile frames and began lifting them towards his face Walter was shocked to hear his neighbours voice growl angrily from the direction of the scuffle. "How do you like it? Hu? How does it feel to fight someone your own size?"

Dennis? It was Dennis? Walter wasn't sure if he should feel more or less afraid at this knowledge. Goodness knows he had never been on good terms with the towns terror child.

As the fighting escalated Walter retreated into the corner of the room, curling into a ball and whimpering in distress as the two men fought violently. He wished his mummsy and daddsy were here. He wished he had never invited Jack around. He wished he had never met Jack. It wasn't fair. He covered his ears to drown out the fight and tried to imagine he was anywhere but here.

"...and don't come back!"

A muffled crash sounded as whatever remained of the door was slammed shut again and footsteps made their way towards him.

Walter let out a shriek when a hand touched his shoulder, it took a few moments to realise it wasn't hurting him and he relaxed slightly. After a while he found the courage to look up at the other man.

Dennis was knelt in front of him on the carpet, slightly battered looking with a black eye and split lip. Looking behind him Walter saw furniture strewn across the room where it had been toppled over and thrown about in the struggle. Eventually the silence stretched on long enough to be awkward, until the shy softy suddenly realised the other teen was wearing nothing but his underpants and let out a scandalised squeak.

Dennis snorted in amusement and stood up, holding out a hand. Walter stared at the hand in wonder for a few moments before he took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"You ok?" The teen menace asked.

Walter stood in dazed shock, peering at his childhood nemesis when he realised that yes, that was genuine concern he was seeing.

Finally he found his voice

"Why?"

The messy haired teen pulled a face at him. "What do you mean why?"

"Why do you care? Why did you even bother to help me? You don't even like me."

"Walt he was beating you up! Of course I care. We may not be best mates or even mates at all but I'm never just gonna stand by and let someone hurt you."

Dennis stared in shock at his long-time neighbour. In all the years they had know each other they had never gotten along but the boy menace had no idea the other teen had such a low opinion of him. Was he really so horrible the little softy honestly thought he would just let him be abused and not care enough to intervene?

Walters frustration and confusion caught up with him and he burst into tears, not caring what the other thought. It was hardly the first time he had cried in front of this boy. He suddenly felt angry. Angry at Jack, at himself even at Denis. Just the whole situation and everyone involved. He was so sick of being a victim.

"Do you even know who he was? Do you? He wasn't a stranger. He wasn't a robber who had broken in and attacked me. He was my boyfriend. Do you understand that? My gay boyfriend. What do you think now hu? Still glad you saved me?" It was the first time he had come out to anyone other than his parents and he wasn't sure why he was doing it. Walter knew he was practically inviting abuse right now, sure that Dennis was about to punch him now he knew the truth of the situation but he was so upset he couldn't stop himself.

Finally finished Walter scrunched his eyes shut and waited for the punch to land, part of him hoping it knocked him unconscious because that was the only way he was going to be able to sleep tonight.

"Yeah so?"

Walter blinked in surprise. That's not the response he had been expecting. His confusion must have shown because the teen menace continued. "I already knew he was your boyfriend. I knew the day you first brought him back here. I've been seeing him hanging around you for weeks. It was pretty obvious. Like I said before, I helped because I don't want you being hurt, I don't want anyone being hurt. I'm a trouble maker not a thug."

"You ...don't care that I'm gay?"

"No, why would I?"

"Because ...you're you. You hate things like that. You always have. Even when we were kids you were always tormenting me for being girly, for being a softy."

"What's that got to do with it? I gave you a hard time because you were a ponce not because you were a poof. One doesn't equal the other. I don't care who you shag. At least I don't care what gender they are."

Walter stared in confusion, unable to comprehend what he was hearing.

Dennis continued, beginning to look a little uncomfortable. "Honestly I hope you find someone like you, someone who will treat you as nice as you treat them. Not like that git you had in here tonight. No one should have to put up with that."

The menace watched as the other teen struggled to process this new information. It really was true. He may not be friends with Walter but he knew the other teen to be a good person and truly did wish him the best in life. After a while Dennis realised he was still half naked in his neighbours living room and felt a blush rising in his cheeks.

"Um..ok, well if you're ok now I should probably head home then"

Walter looked around the room, the smashed furniture and broken door filling him with horror. "What if he comes back?" He whispered, more to himself than to Dennis.

The other teen heard him though and stopped half way to the door, finally looking at the damaged room himself. He was so used to the trail of destruction around him he had long ago stopped paying attention to it and now that he took the time to really see it Dennis realised Walter was right; if that jerk came back he could just walk right in.

So could anyone else in fact. There was no way he could leave the gentle teen here alone tonight.

"Come on Walt, I've got a pile of unhealthy snacks you can lecture me on the dangers of back at my place. Grab a bag and you can stay the night. I'll call a locksmith and get them to send someone over first thing in the morning."

Once again Walter was floored with shock. Dennis the menace himself was inviting him to sleep over? Was actually looking after him in his time of need. Was this truly the boy he had grown up with? and if it was, how had he never noticed this side of him before?

Realising that staying in a door-less house was simply not an option Walter quickly ran to comply, grabbing his readymade sleepover bag and following his former nemesis across the street to the one place in the world he had never before expected to feel safe.

They still weren't friends but somehow Walter suspected they weren't quite enemies anymore either.

It was...nice.


End file.
